Pro Pickup

The Big Book of Buyer's Guide 2013

Propickup Digital Magazine

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HEADACHE RACKS Custom and stock headache racks for those seeking function with form while preventing those… HARD KNOCKS F orm and function come together in many of the headache racks we've spotted in our recent travels. Cab protectors in general are designed to prevent expensive cab damage (and worse) by preventing the intrusion of objects in motion that want to stay in motion, to paraphrase my highschool physics teacher. Cab damage can occur during the loading of the bed, like an employee tossing a piece of rebar or wood into the bed, or from the load shifting under hard braking or impact that allows it to continue on its path according to the laws of motion. If the cargo has enough mass and the deceleration of the pickup is sufficiently abrupt, By Larry D. Walton something's coming into the cab to do some damage unless appropriate protection is in place. Landscapers often cringe at the sight of their guys throwing prunings, pipes, hand tools and hardscape scraps into their pickups. That sound of breaking glass means you just spent a quick $1,000 or more just to replace the rear window. So much for that day's profit. Headache racks, like the cage on my hockey helmet, are designed to protect something near and dear to us from taking the impact. This is the function part of the equation. The form part of the equation is how some headache racks add style to a pickup. This makes the rolling corporate calling card have more impact on clients. Creative cab-protector designers now integrate form and function using CNC plasma and water-jet cutters with high-end results, while designing optional upgrades that serve valuable functions on and off the jobsite. Powder-coated steel, aluminum (brushed, powder coated, shaved or polished) and stainless steel are quickly replacing painted steel that tends to rust and crack. Styles range from Spartan to space-age. Choices don't end with metal types or style lines. You can get a number of different options including slider window cut-outs, built-in LED turn/tail/backup lights, work lights, antenna brackets, load light brackets, rope cleats, rope hooks, vertical "ears" and flag holders on your new headache racks. In addition to features on the rack itself, consider some other components that make a good compliment to a cab protector. Highway Products makes a very cool looking powder-coated finish, which is shaved to expose the highpoints of the aluminum diamond plate. You can order a headache rack and transfer tank with toolbox all matched in this two-tone shaved diamond plate look. Another item to consider matching to the cab protector is a rear rack so cargo such as pipe, ladders and form boards can be carried overhead. Backbone makes the VBack, 52 PROPICKUP Big Book 2013 ProPickup_2013BB_Headache Racks.indd 52 8/6/13 10:08 AM

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